“He called me spoons forever" - When Joey Logano reflected on his fragile relationship with Tony Stewart
Joey Logano once talked about his relationship with Tony Stewart. Last year, during an interview with Graham Bensinger, Logano shared that Stewart gave him the nickname “spoons” for having a silver spoon in his mouth as he climbed his way up the racing ranks.
Logano, 34, is now in his 16th season in the NASCAR Cup Series and currently drives for Team Penske. He also drove for Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 20 Toyota Camry, the car Tony Stewart piloted before Logano took over in 2009.
When questioned about his relationship with Stewart, Logano said they were getting along better than when they were still competing on the track.
“It’s all kind of come full circle now. It’s funny now for majority of them, I get along with now. Like Kevin and I have a great relationship. Tony and I… shoot. He texted me the other day. I mean we talk to each other,” Logano said. [1:16]
Bensinger told Logano about the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion referring to him as a “rich kid who never had to work a day in his life.” He responded by saying:
“Yeah, he called me silver spoon, right? And so he just called me spoons forever. He texted me the other day and said, ‘Hey spoons.’” [1:38]
Logano jokingly said that Stewart’s kids would get a silver spoon.
“Hey listen, when Tony Stewart has a kid, guess what, he gets silver spoon, right? Sorry. Tony made a lot of money driving a race car,” he said. [1:49]
Although the two professional racing drivers are now on good terms, they once had a tumultuous history on the track. One notable incident occurred when a young Logano asked Stewart for an autograph. Stewart's refusal to grant the request upset Logano, leading to a dislike for the veteran driver.
Another notable incident occurred in 2013 following the race at Auto Club Speedway. After Logano blocked Stewart during the race, an angry Stewart confronted Logano in the pitlane, leading to a heated altercation between the two drivers.
Logano is currently competing in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Stewart, on the other hand, is racing in the National Hot Road Association (NHRA) after stepping in for his wife Leah Pruett. The couple is expecting their first child in November.
Joey Logano got caught in NASCAR’s largest wreck at Talladega
During the recently-concluded race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Joey Logano got caught in the biggest wreck in NASCAR’s modern era. The wreck collected a record-breaking 28 cars, including Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
The two-time Cup Series champion was running in fifth when he gave Brad Keselowski a push from behind. Keselowski was subsequently pushed into the rear of the leading No. 2 car driven by Austin Cindric, causing Cindric to lose control and spin out, triggering a multi-car crash.
In a postrace interview, Logano absolved Keselowski of blame for the 28-car accident that occurred after he pushed Keselowski from behind.
“It's not Brad's fault; it's not anybody's fault; it's just the product that the races got. And it was getting more and moreaggressive as the laps wind down,” the Connecticut native stated. [00:24]
With a DNF at Talladega, Logano is now below the cutline by -13 points. He sits 9th in the playoff standings, followed by Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric, and Chase Briscoe, in that order.
The action will resume at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on October 13 for the final race of the Round of 12.